Banjo



March 12, 1929. w. w. NELSON 1,705,202

BANJO Filed March 21, 1927 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 March 12, 1929. w, w, NELSON 1,705,202

BANJO I Filed March 21, 1927 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Fi g 3- Patented Mar. 12, 1929.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM W, NELSON, F BROOKLINE, MASSACHUSETTS.

BANJO.

Application filed March 21, 1927. Serial No. 176,977.

The invention relates to an improvement tends all around the body of the banjo exin banjos or similar stringed instruments. cepting that it is cut away at the point of The object of the invention is to improve the neck of the banjo so as not to Weaken the banjo both structin'ally and in, point of the neck, the ring 15, however, being e011- tone-giving quality. Especially is it the obtinned around the body of the banjo at. this ject oi the invention to improve the tonal point. qualities of the instrument by providing it i 17 represents the resonator which fits over with a very deep resonator or one that will the body oil the instrument and comprises substantially envelop the body of the instrua back 18 and a turned edge or rim 19. The t back is larger than the body of the instru- 60 The invention can best be seen and underment c mending well beyond the same, and stood by reference to thedrawingsain whichthe turned edge or rim or the resonator is Figure 1 a plan of the improved ban it made yery deep, preferably extending to a Fig. 2 is a cross section thereof. po' it r inwardly removed from the head Fi 3 is a cross section of a portion oi the or the ban 0. To the flan 'e-formin )or- 65 I i 1 t3 b 0 m l -oed detail and tion 12 oi: the tension hoo is tastened a s ace Fig. is a plan ot a portion or the ban o pla e saving tonal openings 22 withln it. in enlarged detail. 'ino; plate may be made 111 one piece or in Referring to the drawings sections, and is itastencd to the tension hoop,

2O 1 represents the body oi? the banjo. 2 is =os'-1in the space between the tension hoop 70 the neck. 3 a crossbar or brace extending and the rim oi the resonator, and is pretcrosswise through the chamber of the body, erably secured to the rim for supporting the reinforcing it and assisting also in the re resonatm'. The inner portion of the plate 20 tention of the neck. is attached to the tension hoop by means of 2 Mounted upon the top edge ot the body the tension bolts 13, the plate being inter- 76 ring 4:, preferably a hollow ring, with a posed between the heads of these bolts and series of openings 5 on the interior side therethe portion 12 of the t sion ring. The outer (it. The ring is provided with an upward portion of theplate extends over the top edge exension G p enting a rounding top edge of the rim oi? the resonator and is attached 7 oyer which is stretched a skin or vellum thereto by his ings 21. 30 8 se ured to a shin hoop 9. Bearing against Having thus 1' liy described my invention, this hoop is a tension hoop 10 which is adapt- I claim anddesire to s cure by Letters Pated to d aw against the hoop 9 for stretching ent of the United States 1 and retaining the skin or vellum 8. The ten in a banjo, the combination comprising the sion hoop 1.0 is one preferably angular in body or the ban o, a vellum head, a skin hoop 5 cross section having a rim-forming portion to which the head is secure l, a tension hoop 11 around the head of the banjo and a ilangearranged to tighten against the shin hoop "forming portion 12 with hearing against the for stretching the head, tension bolts passed skin hoop and extension beyond it. through the tension hoop, means connected The tension hoop 10 is drawn against the to said body into which the tension bolts fas- 9|) skin hoop 9 by neans of a number of tenten by which the tension hoop is drawn sion bolts 13. These bolts are passed through against the hoop for stretching the head the portion 12 of the tension hoop until the on tightening the tension bolts, a resonator heads of the bolts have drawing engageconnected to said body having a back With ment therewith, while the threaded shanks a rim overlapping said body, and a space of the bolts iasten into a horiz ntal flan, plate provided with tonal openings fastened forming portion i l of a ring 15 which ly to the tension hoop by the tension bolts and embraces the body or". the banjo with bearbridging the space between the tension hoop ing against a shoulder 16 thereon. The and the rim of the resonator.

flange-forming portion 14; of the ring 15 ex- WVILLIAM WV. NELSON. 

